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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

Fraud email example:

From: "silver" (may be fake)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:05:08 +0200
Subject: VERY IMPORTANT EMAIL...

Mr. Mathew Silver
109 Amex Avenue,
johannesburg, South Africa.
Telephone: + 27 715954636.


Urgent Business Proposal.

Attn: President/ CEO,

I am a Chief Internal Auditor at AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK of South Africa (AMEX
SA). I am writing to seek your cooperation over business deal. In my
Department, I discovered an abandoned sum of (US$35.7Million). In an account
that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire
family in a plane crash that took place in Kenya, The account belongs to the
Late DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY, a citizen of Atlanta, United States of America and
contractor with Anglo Gold.
Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of
kin or business associate to come and claim his money because it cannot be
released unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or business associate
to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately,
all his supposed next of kin or relation died along with him at the plane
crash leaving nobody behind for the claim. You can read more about the crash
on the site below;

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html

It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business
proposal to you and release the money to your account as the next of kin or
business associate.

The banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remains
dormant after five years; the money will be transferred into the Bank
treasury as unclaimed funds. The request for your assistance and maximum
co-operation as a foreign citizen is highly needed to release these funds. I
will like us to share this money mutually on two equal half between me and
you. Please note that I don't have any access to withdraw any cent from this
money due to the
money was insured by the owner DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY.

I will like you at this point to understand that this is privileged
information and must be strictly confidential.

Please reply to above email or Phone number.

Thanks and God bless.

Yours Sincerely,

Mathew Silver

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